South American aluminum output slips to 1985 levels

Production of primary aluminum in South America fell 21.9% year-on-year to 89,000t in June.

The last time the region's output recorded monthly levels below 90,000t was in February 1985 (88,000t).

Compared to May (94,000t), output fell 5.32%, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) reported.

South American output dropped 11.4% year-on-year to 611,000t in the first six months of 2018.

The region produced 1.36Mt of aluminum over the past 12 months, while output in 2017 reached 1.38Mt, IAI data shows.

IAI's South America figures are for Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela, the region's only producers of primary aluminum.

Reported global primary aluminum production totaled 5.32Mt in June, up from 5.48Mt in the same month of 2017, the IAI said. Global output in 2017 reached 63.4Mt.